PJjotogmphing Reptiles, etc. 231 



snakes, and carried it home with me, where I 

 allowed it the free run of my room for several 

 weeks. It would not eat, however, and finally 

 died, much to my sorrow ; and it was not until 

 some months afterward that I discovered this 

 species to be extremely venomous. It is true 

 that the little knowledge which I had of the 

 snakes was a dangerous thins;- and not sufficient 

 to wrarn me against this one. Had it not been 

 that this particular species is hard to anger and 

 will not bite except under great provocation, I 

 might not now be here to tell the tale. 



Of the rattlesnakes, of course, there are many 

 different varieties. They are all easily told by ■ 

 their unvarying habit of signalling the fact of 

 their presence to any one whom they may consider 

 a trespasser upon their domain. I am free to 

 confess that I have never had any great desire to 

 hunt these creatures with a camera, although, 

 should the opportunity offer, I should unhesitat- 

 ingly do so. Many excellent photographs have 

 been made, however, by those who have no 

 particular fear of them. 



Mr. Sumner W. Matteson, In the Cosmopolitan 

 for April, 1898, describes a visit which he made to 

 a rattler's den, for the purpose of securing speci- 

 mens and pictures, that for cool daring I think 

 deserves a reward. He says that " Having had 

 some experience with rattlers in Montana, Iowa, 



